De Vries double makes unhappy return for Adams

Micky Adams claimed that he was no longer enjoying football when he walked out on Leicester City 12 months ago, though the Coventry manager's forlorn demeanour at the final whistle yesterday suggests his love for the game has still to return. Having watched his side slip to a third defeat in four matches against the club he managed for 2½ turbulent years, Adams cut a thoroughly dejected figure. The spectre of another relegation battle was not on the agenda at the beginning of the season, though that gloomy possibility looms large given Coventry's run of one victory from their last 12 matches.

This was Adams' first return to Leicester since he resigned after presiding over a traumatic period that included promotion, relegation, administration and the shameful incidents in La Manga that led to three players being accused of sexual assault before they were later cleared. Against that backdrop a defeat in the Championship might not seem significant, though there was no escaping Adams's sense of disappointment.

He could not, however, complain about the outcome as Leicester, inspired by Mark De Vries, who scored twice to take his tally for the season to eight, thoroughly deserved a first home win since early September. Having conceded an early goal when Gary McSheffrey pounced, Craig Levein's side recovered impressively to garner three points that lifts them five places to 13th.

"On the balance of play I thought we were better than Coventry in the first half and if anyone thought it was marginal, the second half dispelled that," said Levein. The Leicester manager was particularly pleased for De Vries who has struggled to settle since arriving from Hearts in January. "I feel for Mark at times because when he doesn't play well he looks so cumbersome," said Levein. "But what he did today was dispel the myth that he doesn't punch his weight in the air. He attacked both goals tremendously well."

Coventry's threat was sporadic though they did have two first-half penalty claims turned down with McSheffrey tumbling on both occasions. "I thought the first one was a penalty," said Adams, "the second one was debatable. [McSheffrey] claims on both occasions he was tripped. I am a little aggrieved with that but we should have come in at half-time one goal up."

The lead they had protected until first-half injury-time arrived in the 24th minute when Jamie Scowcroft set Dele Adebola free on the Coventry right. The former Birmingham forward outstripped Dion Dublin before picking out McSheffrey who cleverly flicked a right-footed finish past Rab Douglas from six yards.

That breakthrough had been prefaced by a misunderstanding between the Coventry goalkeeper Clayton Ince and Matt Heath which allowed De Vries a free header on goal. The Leicester forward failed to capitalise, though the incident clearly remained fresh in the mind of Adams who chose to berate Ince rather than celebrate Coventry's goal.

His fears that Ince appeared hesitant were not unfounded and although the former Crewe keeper, making his first league start for Coventry, denied Joey Gudjonsson and Momo Sylla from distance, he was found wanting in first-half stoppage-time. Stephen Hughes could only half-clear Richard Stearman's centre and with Ince seeking to punch, De Vries arrived a split-second before to head home.

If that soured Adams's half-time team talk, worse was to follow when De Vries struck again within two minutes of the restart. Sylla swung in a corner from the left that the Dutchman rose to meet with such power that the combined presence of Ince and Richard Duffy was not enough to keep the ball out at the near post. "We have got a problem defending set pieces," said Adams. "I can't understand why because we are big enough. It has to be down to a lack of desire."

The goal imbued Leicester with belief and they were unfortunate to not extend their lead through Iain Hume and Joe Hamill, both benefiting from Sylla's awareness only to be denied by Ince. Coventry's only response was an Andy Morrell header that Douglas comfortably turned to safety.